metabolic cages

Abstract

The application provides a metabolism cage, comprising: a shell comprising a receiving cavity; a support plate arranged in the receiving cavity in a first axis direction of the shell, the support plate being provided with a plurality of through holes; a solid-liquid separation piece located on one side of the support plate and suspended in the receiving cavity in a detachable manner, the solid-liquid separation piece being arranged opposite to the plurality of through holes; and the solid-liquid separation piece comprises, in sequence along the first axis in a direction away from the through holes, a flow guide section, a cross-sectional area of the flow guide section along the first axis in the direction away from the through holes showing an increasing trend, the flow guide section being capable of guiding the flow of solid-liquid excrement; a separation section in a barrel-shaped structure, the separation section being capable of guiding the separation of a solid part of the excrement; and a collection section, a cross-sectional area of the collection section along the first axis in the direction away from the through holes showing a decreasing trend, the collection section being capable of guiding the collection of a liquid part of the excrement; and a metabolite collector arranged on a side of the solid-liquid separation piece away from the support plate, the metabolite collector comprising a feces collection disc and a urine collection dish.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of packaging equipment technology, and in particular relates to a metabolic cage. Background Technology

[0002] In animal experiments for drug development, collecting feces and urine from mice is a crucial experimental procedure. The composition and content of feces and urine can be used to assess parameters related to drug metabolism, drug toxicity, detection of biomarkers, and detection of gut microbiota, providing safety, efficacy, and metabolic characteristics data for candidate drug evaluation.

[0003] In the development of radiopharmaceuticals, metabolite collection can be used to assess the excretion pathways of radionuclides and drugs. However, due to the radioactivity of radionuclides, commercially available metabolite cages cannot adequately meet the requirements for metabolite collection during radiopharmaceutical development. The specific reasons are as follows: Existing metabolic cages have complex structures, and the assembly and disassembly processes are cumbersome. Researchers spend a long time collecting feces and urine, and the time they are exposed to radioactive materials is also longer, which is detrimental to their own safety.

[0004] Because radioactive substances in excrement have a certain degree of adhesion, solid-liquid separation of excrement is difficult, metabolic cage circulation efficiency is low, and cleaning is difficult, which also leads to a longer experimental cycle and is not conducive to the accurate collection of metabolites. Utility Model Content

[0005] This application provides a metabolic cage that shortens the solid-liquid separation cycle of metabolites, reduces metabolite loss, significantly lowers the cost of animal metabolite collection experiments during radiopharmaceutical development, and makes post-experiment decontamination more convenient and simple.

[0006] This application provides a metabolic cage for studying radiopharmaceutical metabolism. The metabolic cage includes: a shell containing a receiving cavity; a support plate disposed within the receiving cavity intersecting the first axis of the shell and configured to hold experimental animals, the support plate having multiple through holes, the first axis extending along the height direction of the shell; and a solid-liquid separator located on one side of the support plate, detachably connected to and suspended within the receiving cavity, the solid-liquid separator being disposed opposite to the multiple through holes. The solid-liquid separator, along the first axis away from the through holes, sequentially includes: a drainage section with an increasing cross-sectional area along the first axis away from the through holes, capable of guiding the flow of solid and liquid excrement; a separation section with a barrel-shaped structure, capable of guiding the separation of the solid portion of the excrement; a collection section with a decreasing cross-sectional area along the first axis away from the through holes, capable of guiding the collection of the liquid portion of the excrement; and a metabolite collector disposed on the side of the solid-liquid separator away from the support plate, the metabolite collector including a fecal collection tray and a urine collection dish.

[0007] In some embodiments, the sidewall of the drainage section forms an angle α with the reference horizontal plane, wherein the value of α ranges from 15° to 60°.

[0008] In some embodiments, the drainage section and the separation section are coaxial.

[0009] In some embodiments, the hydrophobic angle of the surface of the solid-liquid separator is 110°~120°.

[0010] In some embodiments, the surface roughness Ra of the solid-liquid separator is ≤3.2 μm.

[0011] In some embodiments, the solid-liquid separator includes a corrosion-resistant, non-stick layer.

[0012] In some embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the drainage section, separation section, and collection section is circular or n-sided, where n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 3.

[0013] In some embodiments, the end of the drainage section facing the support plate has a pointed structure.

[0014] In some embodiments, the drainage section is a cone, the separation section is a cylinder, and the collection section is a cone.

[0015] In some embodiments, the length L of the inclined plane intersecting the first axis from one end to the other satisfies the following condition with respect to the diameter D1 of the cylinder: 1.2 ≤ L / D1 ≤ 2.5.

[0016] In some embodiments, the separation segment is an n-prism; the drainage segment is an n-1 pyramid connected to one end of the n-prism; the collection segment is an n-1 pyramid connected to the other end of the n-prism; n is greater than or equal to 3 and n is a positive integer.

[0017] In some embodiments, the axis of the solid-liquid separator coincides with the central axis of the housing.

[0018] In some embodiments, the solid-liquid separation component is a one-piece molded structure.

[0019] In some embodiments, the solid-liquid separator has a built-in weight reduction chamber.

[0020] In some embodiments, the housing includes a radioactive material shielding layer.

[0021] The metabolic cage provided in this application embodiment is used to study radiopharmaceutical metabolism. The shell includes a receiving cavity to house experimental animals, a solid-liquid separator, and a metabolite collector, reducing the diffusion of radiopharmaceuticals and improving safety. The experimental animals are located on a support plate, and their metabolites are transferred to the solid-liquid separator through multiple through-holes. Along the direction away from the through-holes, the solid-liquid separator sequentially includes: a drainage section with an increasing cross-sectional area, configured to guide the flow of solid and liquid excrement; a barrel-shaped separation section, configured to guide the separation of the solid portion of the excrement; and a collection section with a decreasing cross-sectional area, configured to guide the collection of the liquid portion of the excrement. Thus, solid-liquid separation of metabolites is achieved, reducing metabolite loss and enabling the acquisition of more accurate metabolite data, providing accurate and effective data for drug development.

[0022] Furthermore, after the metabolite culture experiment is completed, the simple solid-liquid separator makes decontamination more convenient and concise, shortening the decontamination experiment cycle and the metabolite solid-liquid separation cycle. The overall structure of the solid-liquid separator is simple, which greatly reduces the cost of animal metabolite collection experiments in the process of radiopharmaceutical development. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a metabolic cage structure provided in one embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 2 A top view of a support plate provided in one embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 3 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of a support frame in a metabolic cage according to yet another embodiment of this application; Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 5 A top view of a solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 6 This is a top view of a metabolite collector provided in one embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of a metabolite collector provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0025] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 100. Metabolic cage; 10. Shell; 20. Support plate; 21. Through hole; 30. Solid-liquid separation component; 31. Drainage section; 32. Separation section; 33. Collection section; 34. Support component; 40. Metabolite collector; 41. Fecal collection tray; 42. Urine collection dish; 200. Support frame. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of this application will now be described in detail. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following detailed description to provide a comprehensive understanding of this application. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this application can be implemented without requiring some of these specific details. The following description of embodiments is merely intended to provide a better understanding of this application by illustrating examples. In the accompanying drawings and the following description, at least some well-known structures and techniques are not shown to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the application; and, for clarity, the dimensions of some structures may be exaggerated. Furthermore, the features, structures, or characteristics described below can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0027] The terms “first”, “second”, etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be interpreted as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0028] In this application, the terms "multiple" or "various" refer to two or more kinds.

[0029] The directional terms appearing in the following description refer to the directions shown in the figures and are not intended to limit the specific structure of the embodiments of this application. It should also be noted in the description of this application that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0030] In related technologies, the complex solid-liquid separation structure of existing metabolic cages leads to the loss of radioactive materials during the collection of metabolites and incomplete solid-liquid separation of metabolites, which affects the quantitative analysis of radiation dose in experiments.

[0031] To better understand this application, this application uses metabolic cages for feeding laboratory organisms such as mice as an example, combined with... Figures 1 to 7 The metabolic cages of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a metabolic cage structure provided in one embodiment of this application is shown.

[0033] Please see Figure 1The metabolic cage 100 is used to study radiopharmaceutical metabolism. The metabolic cage 100 includes: a shell 10 containing a receiving cavity; a support plate 20, intersecting the first axis of the shell 10 and disposed within the receiving cavity, configured to hold experimental animals, the support plate 20 having multiple through holes 21, the first axis extending along the height direction of the shell 10; and a solid-liquid separator 30 located on one side of the support plate 20, detachably connected to and suspended within the receiving cavity, the solid-liquid separator 30 being disposed opposite to the multiple through holes 21; wherein, the solid-liquid separator 30 in the first... The axis, along the direction away from the through hole 21, sequentially includes: a drainage section 31, whose cross-sectional area increases gradually along the direction away from the through hole 21, and which guides the flow of solid and liquid excrement; a separation section 32, which has a barrel-shaped structure and guides the separation of the solid portion of the excrement; a collection section 33, whose cross-sectional area decreases gradually along the direction away from the through hole 21, and which guides the collection of the liquid portion of the excrement; and a metabolite collector 40, which is located on the side of the solid-liquid separator 30 away from the support plate 20, and includes a fecal collection tray 41 and a urine collection dish 42.

[0034] Compared to the drawbacks of the complex solid-liquid separator 30, the complex structure prolongs the time for collecting metabolites, thereby extending the time researchers are exposed to radioactive materials. This makes it impossible to separate the sticky feces and urine of mice. It is possible that urine and feces remain in the solid-liquid separator 30, and that some urine and feces are not separated, resulting in significant errors in the data obtained in subsequent studies.

[0035] According to the embodiments of this application, by utilizing the surface tension and capillary action of the liquid, the surfaces of the drainage section 31 and the separation section 32 can serve a drainage function; the separation section 32 can achieve a solid-liquid separation effect, with solid excrement sliding down and being thrown out along the surface of the separation section 32; while liquid excrement is drained along the surfaces of the separation section 32 and the collection section 33, flowing down from the collection section 33 below the separation section 32, realizing the classified collection of metabolites, improving the accuracy of urine and feces collection, improving the accuracy of experimental data; it also reduces the time researchers are exposed to radioactive materials, improving the safety of researchers.

[0036] The metabolic cage 100 includes a shell 10, which is fitted over components such as a support plate 20, a solid-liquid separator 30, and a metabolite collector 40. A cavity formed within the shell 10 can accommodate these components. It is understood that the cavity refers to a relatively enclosed space that reduces the exposure of the external environment to radioactive metabolites.

[0037] Compared to the shell 10 of other metabolic cages 100, which lack a radioactive material shielding structure, the shell 10 of this embodiment includes a radioactive material shielding layer; thereby reducing the exposure of researchers to radioactive materials during observation and improving safety.

[0038] The material of the radioactive material shielding layer includes at least one of lead-based composite materials, boron-containing polyethylene, or lead glass. The shell 10 can be entirely made of radioactive material shielding layer. The shell 10 includes a body and a radioactive material shielding layer disposed on at least one side of the body. The thickness of the radioactive material shielding layer is 2~10mm, which can achieve shielding against radioactive materials.

[0039] The casing 10 can be cubic, cylindrical, or other shapes. For example, the entire casing 10 can be made of lead glass. The bottom of the casing 10 is open, while the other five sides are closed, which can isolate it from radiation.

[0040] Figure 2 A top view of a support plate provided in one embodiment of this application is shown.

[0041] Please see Figure 2 The support frame 200 is disposed inside the housing 10. The support plate 20 can be directly connected to the inner wall of the housing 10 and is disposed in the receiving cavity intersecting the first axis of the housing 10. For example, it can be disposed laterally in the receiving cavity and configured to support experimental animals; the support plate 20 is provided with multiple through holes 21. The multiple through holes 21 are used to discharge the metabolites of the experimental animals to the solid-liquid separator 30.

[0042] Please see Figure 1 The metabolic cage 100 may include a cage body for feeding experimental organisms. A support plate 20 may be connected to the cage body, and the support plate 20 is used to fix and support the cage body. The support plate 20 supports the cage body, which can be easily assembled and disassembled, thus shortening the exposure time of researchers during radioactive experiments.

[0043] The support plate 20 and the cage can be connected by a snap-fit ​​structure or by welding. A first limiting block can be installed on the outside of the cage to fix the cage to the support plate 20. For example, cage locking blocks can be installed on the left and right sides of the cage. The bottom of the cage can be a mesh structure, with the mesh facing the through holes 21 of the support plate 20 for the discharge of metabolites. The mesh diameter of the bottom mesh of the cage is smaller than that of the other sides to provide stable support for the experimental animals.

[0044] The cage has an opening for easy placement of laboratory animals. It also has a window for feeding; the cage contains a feeding box and / or water container for managing the mice's diet.

[0045] The bottom of the cage can also be the support plate 20 itself. The support plate 20 can be a mesh structure. For example, the support plate 20 can be made of stainless steel perforated plate with a hole diameter of 1~3mm and a hole spacing of 3~5mm, for holding mice. Food troughs and water bottle slots can be welded onto the support plate 20 to provide food and water.

[0046] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a support frame in a metabolic cage provided in yet another embodiment of this application is shown.

[0047] Please see Figure 3 The support frame 200 may include a support plate 20 for supporting experimental organisms and a support member 34 for supporting the solid-liquid separation member 30.

[0048] The support frame 200 includes a frame body, which includes an experimental animal support layer for supporting or housing experimental animals; and a solid-liquid separator 30 shelving layer for supporting the solid-liquid separator 30. The experimental animal support layer and the solid-liquid separator 30 shelving layer can be arranged alternately to ensure that the experimental animals and the solid-liquid separator 30 are spaced apart, avoiding mutual interference and affecting the collection of metabolites.

[0049] The frame can be welded from stainless steel pipes. The spacing between the frame layers is determined by the shell 10, the type of experimental animal, and the height of the solid-liquid separation unit 30.

[0050] The experimental animal support layer can be the aforementioned support plate 20, horizontally positioned within the receiving cavity and configured to support the experimental animal; the support plate 20 or the experimental animal support layer has multiple through holes 21. The frame may also include a collector support layer for supporting the metabolite collector 40. The solid-liquid separator 30 support layer may include a circular support ring for fixing the separation section 32 in the solid-liquid separator 30. The experimental animal support layer, the solid-liquid separator 30 support layer, and the collector support layer may each be composed of multiple crossbeams.

[0051] In addition, corrosion-resistant and anti-sticking layers can be applied to the inner surface of the cage, as well as to the support plate 20 and support frame 200. This reduces the corrosion caused by radioactive metabolites and minimizes their residue. Multiple layers of the corrosion-resistant and anti-sticking layer can be applied to the surface.

[0052] A solid-liquid separator 30 is located on one side of the support plate 20 and is detachably connected to and suspended within the receiving cavity. The solid-liquid separator 30 is positioned opposite to multiple through holes 21 to facilitate the collection and separation of metabolites. Along the direction away from the through holes 21, the solid-liquid separator 30 sequentially includes: a drainage section 31, whose cross-sectional area increases progressively along the first axis away from the through holes 21, guiding the flow of solid and liquid excrement; a separation section 32, with a barrel-shaped structure, guiding the separation of the solid portion of the excrement; and a collection section 33, whose cross-sectional area decreases progressively along the first axis away from the through holes 21, guiding the collection of the liquid portion of the excrement.

[0053] It is understandable that the barrel-shaped structure can be a cylinder, cube, polyhedron, etc. Furthermore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the separation section 32 is uniform. Its overall shape remains unchanged, matching the area of ​​the bottom surface of the drainage section 31 or the bottom surface of the collection section 33.

[0054] The solid-liquid separator 30 works as follows: Animal excrement falls through the through-hole 21 of the support plate 20 to the drainage section 31. Under gravity, it flows along the inclined surface of the drainage section 31, for example, at an angle to the horizontal plane, to the separation section 32. The solid portion falls directly into the feces collection tray 41 due to gravity; the liquid portion flows along the cylindrical surface of the separation section 32 to the collection section 33, where it converges and drips into the urine collection dish 42, thus achieving solid-liquid separation. As the cross-sectional area of ​​the drainage section 31 continuously increases until the cross-sectional area of ​​the separation section 32 remains constant, the viscosity of the radioactive metabolites and the different contact effects between urine and feces with the interface are fully utilized to achieve precise separation, reducing the difficulty of subsequent cleaning and ensuring the accuracy of metabolite data.

[0055] The cross-sectional shape of the drainage section 31, the separation section 32, and the collection section 33 is circular or n-sided, where n is a positive integer greater than or equal to. The n-sided cross-sectional shape can increase the number of guiding edges or faces, enhance the directional separation of liquid, and cause the solid part of the metabolite to precipitate, which facilitates the subsequent separation of the solid and liquid parts.

[0056] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 5 A top view of a solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0057] Please see Figure 4 and Figure 5 The drainage section 31 is a cone, the separation section 32 is a cylinder, and the collection section 33 is a cone. The length L of the inclined plane intersecting the first axis from one end to the other satisfies the following condition with respect to the diameter D1 of the cylinder: 1.2 ≤ L / D1 ≤ 2.5.

[0058] In some embodiments, the end of the drainage section 31 facing the support plate 20 has a pointed structure. This avoids the residue of metabolites on the end face of the solid-liquid separator 30 and concentrates the impact force to break up excrement clumps, reducing block adhesion.

[0059] When the metabolic cage 100 is in use, the sidewall of the drainage section 31 forms an angle α with the reference horizontal plane, where α ranges from 15° to 60°. This optimizes the initial flow trajectory of excrement, reduces splashing and surface adhesion losses, and improves collection efficiency. In some embodiments, the cone angle of the cone ranges from 15° to 60°. This balances the metabolite flow time with separation efficiency, allowing solids in the metabolites to settle sufficiently for subsequent separation.

[0060] The solid-liquid separator 30 is made of one or more of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and perfluoroalkoxy resin (PFA). Therefore, it possesses both radiation stability and biological inertness, exhibits strong resistance, and can effectively guide and separate metabolites.

[0061] The drainage section 31 and the separation section 32 are coaxial. As an example, the solid-liquid separator 30 includes an upper cone, a cylinder, and a lower cone connected coaxially in sequence. This maintains fluid flow stability, prevents deviation of the solid / liquid separation path, reduces metabolite loss, and improves collection efficiency.

[0062] The axis of the solid-liquid separator 30 coincides with the central axis of the housing 10. This prevents metabolites from splashing onto the inner wall of the housing 10 and improves the accuracy of metabolite collection.

[0063] The solid-liquid separator 30 is a one-piece molded structure. This reduces the residue of metabolites at the joint, improves the accuracy of metabolite collection, and also facilitates the cleaning of the solid-liquid separator 30.

[0064] The solid-liquid separator 30 has a built-in weight-reduction chamber. This reduces the load on the supporting structure and prevents deformation of the suspension system. Furthermore, it saves costs.

[0065] In some embodiments, the hydrophobic angle of the surface of the solid-liquid separator 30 is 110°~120°. Thus, when the metabolites of the experimental organism come into contact with the surface of the solid-liquid separator 30, a superhydrophobic effect can be achieved to reduce metabolite residue, especially droplet residue.

[0066] In some embodiments, the surface roughness Ra of the solid-liquid separator 30 is ≤3.2 μm. This eliminates the adsorption of microstructures on the surface of the solid-liquid separator 30 and reduces the retention of radioactive isotopes.

[0067] The solid-liquid separator 30 includes a corrosion-resistant, non-stick layer to prevent excrement from adhering and improve collection efficiency. The corrosion-resistant, non-stick layer and the surface of the solid-liquid separator form a multi-layer coating structure. The corrosion-resistant, non-stick layer can form a full-coverage structure to achieve comprehensive excrement collection.

[0068] In some embodiments, the separating segment 32 is an n-prism; the draining segment 31 is an n-1 pyramid connected to one end of the n-prism; the collecting segment 33 is an n-1 pyramid connected to the other end of the n-prism; n is greater than or equal to 3 and is a positive integer. For example, a triangular prism, a quadrangular prism, a triangular pyramid, and a quadrangular pyramid, etc. The n-prism can be a cuboid, a cube, etc.

[0069] For example, the solid-liquid separator 30 is composed of a three-section pyramid-prism combination: the upper part is a square pyramid drainage section 31 (cone height 60mm, cone angle α=40°); the middle part is a cubic separation section 32 (side length 70mm, height 100mm); and the lower part is a square pyramid collection section 33 (cone height 45mm, cone angle β=55°).

[0070] In some embodiments, the solid-liquid separator 30 can be laterally disposed on the inner wall of the housing 10 via a support member 34, the support member 34 being connected to the inner wall of the housing 10, optionally by welding. The support member 34 itself is a plate-like structure, and it is provided with a second through hole 21, which is used to accommodate and fix the collection section 33 to fix the solid-liquid separator 30.

[0071] The support member 34 can be a locking member, which forms a locking structure with the locking rail located on the inner wall of the housing 10. The collecting section 33 and the locking rail form a sliding structure. The collecting section 33 and the locking rail are movably connected. Furthermore, the collecting section 33 and the locking rail can be fixed by a limiting member. This allows for observation of metabolite residues, enabling further collection or washing, and facilitating accurate quantitative analysis of metabolites. For example, the solid-liquid separator 30 is suspended below the support plate 20 by an annular locking member. The axis of the solid-liquid separator 30 coincides with the central axis of the housing 10.

[0072] In some embodiments, the collection segment 33 of the solid-liquid separator 30 can be captured on the solid-liquid separator 30 support layer of the support frame 200. The solid-liquid separator 30 support layer is provided with a third through hole 21 for accommodating and fixing the collection segment 33.

[0073] The aforementioned anti-stick layer, corrosion-resistant anti-stick layer, and locking structure can reduce the difficulty of cleaning the solid-liquid separation component 30.

[0074] Figure 6 This is a top view of a metabolite collector provided in one embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of a metabolite collector provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0075] Please see Figure 6 and Figure 7 The metabolite collector 40 is located on the side of the solid-liquid separator 30 away from the support plate 20. The metabolite collector 40 includes a fecal collection tray 41 and a urine collection dish 42. The fecal collection tray 41 can be fitted over the urine collection dish 42, and is configured to collect feces and urine respectively.

[0076] The feces collection tray 41 and the urine collection dish 42 can be integrally formed. The urine collection dish 42 is disposed within the feces collection tray 41. The urine collection dish 42 can be a concave structure with a gradually decreasing cross-section, and can be conical, etc., to facilitate precise urine collection. The feces collection tray 41 can be a cylindrical collection tray, and the urine collection dish 42 can be a conical collection dish.

[0077] As an example, the feces collection tray 41 is located directly below the separation section 32 and is used to receive solid excrement; the urine collection dish 42 can be coaxially nested inside the feces collection tray 41 and is used to collect liquid excrement that has been guided by the collection section 33.

[0078] In some embodiments, the inner wall of the urine collection dish 42 is marked with graduations for measuring urine volume. The bottom of the urine collection dish 42 may have an outlet. The outlet may communicate with a urine collection bottle.

[0079] In some embodiments, the metabolite collector 40 can be snapped into or placed directly on the support frame 200, and can be slidably installed or placed directly for easy cleaning and replacement. The metabolite collector 40 can also be directly installed at the bottom of the cage.

[0080] Although this application has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, various modifications can be made thereto and components can be replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope of this application. In particular, the technical features mentioned in the various embodiments can be combined in any manner, provided there is no structural conflict. This application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A metabolic cage, characterized in that, The metabolic cage is used to study the metabolism of radiopharmaceuticals, and the metabolic cage includes: The housing includes a receiving cavity; A support plate, intersecting the first axis of the shell, is disposed within the receiving cavity and configured to support experimental animals. The support plate has multiple through holes, and the first axis extends along the height direction of the shell. A solid-liquid separator is located on one side of the support plate, detachably connected to the solid-liquid separator and suspended within the receiving cavity, and is disposed opposite to a plurality of through holes; wherein, the solid-liquid separator comprises, in sequence along the first axis in a direction away from the through holes: The drainage section has a cross-sectional area that increases gradually along the first axis away from the through hole, and the drainage section can guide the flow of solid and liquid excrement. The separation section, in the form of a barrel, is capable of guiding the separation of the solid portion of the excrement; The collection section has a decreasing cross-sectional area along the first axis away from the through hole, and the collection section can guide the collection of the liquid portion of the excrement; A metabolite collector is disposed on the side of the solid-liquid separator away from the support plate, and the metabolite collector includes a fecal collection tray and a urine collection dish.

2. The metabolic cage according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sidewall of the drainage section forms an angle α with the reference horizontal plane, wherein the value of α ranges from 15° to 60°; and / or, the drainage section and the separation section are coaxially arranged.

3. The metabolic cage according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hydrophobic angle of the surface of the solid-liquid separator is 110°~120°; and / or, The surface roughness Ra of the solid-liquid separator is ≤3.2μm; and / or, The solid-liquid separation component includes a corrosion-resistant and non-sticky layer.

4. The metabolic cage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The cross-sectional shape of the drainage section, the separation section, and the collection section is circular or n-sided, where n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 3.

5. The metabolic cage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The end of the drainage section facing the support plate has a pointed structure.

6. The metabolic cage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The drainage section is a cone, the separation section is a cylinder, and the collection section is a cone.

7. The metabolic cage according to claim 6, characterized in that, The length L of the inclined plane intersecting the first axis from one end to the other satisfies the following condition with respect to the diameter D1 of the cylinder: 1.2≤L / D1≤2.

5.

8. The metabolic cage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The separation section is an n-prism; the drainage section is an n-1 pyramid connected to one end of the n-prism; the collection section is an n-1 pyramid connected to the other end of the n-prism; n is greater than or equal to 3 and n is a positive integer.

9. The metabolic cage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The axis of the solid-liquid separator coincides with the central axis of the housing; and / or, The solid-liquid separation component is a one-piece molded structure; and / or, The solid-liquid separator has a built-in weight reduction chamber.

10. The metabolic cage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The shell includes a radioactive material shielding layer.

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